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Wise use of time spent in preparing meals can mean more time left for other activities and chores. Time is like money. It needs to be budgeted if you are to make the best use of it.

Here are some suggestions which may help:

1. When you make menus, make enough for the whole week. This will  also save marketing time for you.
2. Shop when the markets are less crowded so that you will not spend too much time in pushing and shoving around the stalls.
3. Plan simple easy-to-prepare meals which are suitable for all ages. Do not cater to the individual whims of each member of the family.
4. Plan a work schedule for each day. If you write down all of your activities you will notice that there are many instances where time can be saved.
5. Arrange your kitchen tools and utensils in the order in which you will use them. Keep the most used items nearest your work area. For example potholders should be near the stove as possible. Never mind if they look very cute over the sink; they are quite useless there.
6. Prepare similar items together. If you are planning on more than one recipe that calls for garlic, pound and peel all the garlic you need at one time. Just set the extra aside till you begin on the second recipe.
7. If you have only one measuring cup, measure your dry ingredients before the liquid or the shortening. The time you would have spent in the washing cup can be used for something else.
8. Wash your utensils and tools right after using so that they will be ready for using again. It is very irritating to find the frying pan full of water just when you need it badly. Also, if you allow your kettle to stand after using it, the food will dry in it and you will have to spend precious minutes in scraping.